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Top line
Despite the emergence of the delta as the dominant variant of Covid-19 in the United States, almost all of the antibodies produced by the Pfizer vaccine are able to neutralize it, according to a study published on Monday, highlighting the protection offered by vaccinations in the event of pandemic where nearly all cases — and virtually all severe cases — are among the unvaccinated.
Pharmacist Tiffany Aljets fills a syringe for a Covid-19 vaccination at the Iowa State Fair on … [+]
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Highlights
In a lab, researchers displayed cells containing antibodies from the Pfizer vaccine against the original strain of Covid-19 and four variants.
The delta and alpha variants were neutralized by all but one of the antibodies, which were developed in a person who received the Pfizer vaccine, researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis wrote in the peer-reviewed journal. Immunity..
While beta and gamma escaped some antibodies, eight of the 13 still found and stopped both variants.
Of the five antibodies effective against the original strain, all five neutralized the delta variant, making it less robust than the original, despite its superior ease of propagation.
Crucial quote
“In the face of vaccination, delta is a relatively weak virus,” said Ali Ellebedy, co-lead author of the study and professor of pathology and immunology at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, in a report. press release announcing the study. “If we had a more resilient variant like beta but that spread as easily as delta, we would have more problems. “
Key context
The delta variant is more than twice as contagious as the original strain of the coronavirus, which is why it has become the dominant version so quickly in the United States and many other countries. But there is a difference between a virus’s ability to spread easily and its ability to sneak through antibodies. “Just because delta has outperformed other variants does not mean that it is more resistant to our antibodies compared to other variants,” said Jacco Boon, co-author and colleague of Ellebedy in medical school. . This is why people who have been vaccinated have been shown to have such protection against the delta variant despite its rapid spread among the unvaccinated. With 49% of U.S. residents still not fully vaccinated, however, the delta variant is more likely to break through and infect people who have received their vaccines. If a vaccinated person catches the delta variant, they can still spread it, although it seems contagious for a shorter period of time.
Vs
Different vaccine studies have found a range of efficacy against the delta variant: from nearly 90% in a Pfizer study to 64% in an Israeli study. Even in the Israeli study, however, the vaccine was found to be 93% effective in preventing severe cases of the virus.
Large number
0.29%. That’s the number of Covid-19 cases in Alaska in fully vaccinated people, according to data from 25 states analyzed by the Kaiser Family Foundation. Among the states, Alaska had the highest percentage of breakthrough Covid-19 cases. In Connecticut, the state with the lowest share, 0.01% of the total cases were among those fully vaccinated.
Further reading
County affected early by Delta had more breakthrough cases, CDC study finds (Forbes)
Fully vaccinated half as likely to catch Delta Covid variant and less likely to infect others, study finds (Forbes)
Infectious Delta variant now dominant strain of Covid in US, CDC says (Forbes)
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